Visible file



E. H. LARSEN Dec. 24, 1940.

"II III IBLE FILE Filed Feb. 6, 1940 3 woe/swim ljyai'fllwren aw @i m his We;

Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VISIBLE FILE Application February 6, 1940, Serial No. 317,595

4 Claims.

This invention relates to files of the type in which the papers to be filed (clippings, photographs, record sheets, etc.) are removably attached to cards assembled in compact parallel 6 relation within a horizontal frame or housing.

An important object of my invention is to provide a file in which the operation of turning one of the cards through a short are upon its support automatically raises the following cards to approximately upright position where it is more conveniently visible, thus expediting searches for material contained in the file.

Another object of my invention is to provide a file which is readily movable from place to place, the file being of skeleton construction to admit the maximum amount of light to the cards during their inspection.

The invention has as another object to provide a file of simple, light and compact construction which is capable of economical manufacture.

Still another object of my invention is to pro-- vide a card suitable for use with a file of the above character for facilitating the introduction and removal of material into and from the file, and which at the same time is so constructed and arranged as to permit rapid searches of the file.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the annexed drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the file frame with a card holder supported therein;

Figure 2 is a detached perspective View of the card holder;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the cards adapted to be associated with the holder; and

Figure 4 is a side view of the file illustrating the manner of assembling the cards upon the holder supported Within the frame.

As shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, the file frame F is of skeleton construction being composed of metal rods or tubes bent to shape and preferably being plated or polished to lend an attractive appearance to the file. Each side member I of the frame is of generally rectangular shape and strengthened by an intermediate rod la extending lengthwise between its ends. The side members are connected at their forward ends by upper and lower cross-rods 2 and 2a, respectively, and at their rear ends by cross-rods 3 and 3a, respectively. The space between the sides of the frame slightly exceeds the width of the cards designed to be accommodated within the frame, as later will be described.

The lower cross-rods 2a and 3a are bent so as to provide notches 4 and 4a receiving and constituting guides for a pair of longitudinal rods 5 of a card holder H, best shown in Figure 2. Adjacent their opposite ends the longitudinal rods 5 are bent so as to provide notches 6 which hook over the lower cross-rod 3a and seat within the notches to at the rear end of the frame, and these ends of the longitudinal rods 5 are connected by a cross-rod l. Preferably the holder will be formed of a single rod bent into generally U-shape and including the longitudinal rods 5 and the cross-rod l as integral parts thereof. By the construction thus described the'holder is adapted 15 to be removably associated with the frame, and when so associated is prevented from shifting longitudinally and laterally therein by virtue of the interengagement between the longitudinal rods 5 of the card holder and the lower crossrods 20: and 3a of the frame as afforded by the notches 4, 4a and 6.

Adapted to be associated with the holder H is a series .of' cards C, one of which is illustrated in Figure 3. This card is of generally rectangular shape and may be made of cardboard, fibreboard or other stiff wear-resistant material. Each card is provided with a pair of holes 8 through which the rods 5 of the holder H may pass when the cards are associated with the holder. The holes 8 are located a substantial distance above the lower transverse edge of the card and are slightly oversize so that the rods 5 are loosely received therein. A wire of spring metal is laced through perforations l0 formed in the card. The ends of the wire formva pair of upright arms 9a which weave between the front and rear faces of the cards, while the intermediate portion of the wire is bowed to form a loop 91) overlying the front face of the card. This loop provides a clip for removably attaching to the card a paperclipping, photograph, record sheet or the liketo be filed. Resiliency is imparted to the loop 9?), so that it will press tightly against the face of the card, by means of offsets 9c which cause the lower ends of the loop, at the points where they connect with the arms 9a, to project a short distance beyond the face of the card. The ends of the arms 9a are folded down against the back of the card as indicated at 9d to anchor the wire to the card.

In Figure 4 is shown a series of cards C associated with the holder H supported Within the frame F. The cards are of a height so as to project above the sides of the frame, and the frame, because of its skeleton construction, allows the slightly separated relationship. Thus, as indie cated in Figure 4, when one card 0 is flipped through a short are upon the supporting rods 5 by the person searching the file, the lower end of this card presses against the lower end of the following card C and moves the latter to approximately upright position to afford greater ease" of inspection. In this way, searches of the files are conducted more speedily than heretofore and with less effort.

In the file construction described above, cards may be associated with the holder H by merely lifting the rear end of the holder from off the cross-rod 3a, to disengage the notches 6 from this cross-rod, then sliding the holder rearwardly a short distance while tilting the same to lift the forward ends of the rod 5 out. of the notches d, and then passing the rods 5 through the holes 8 of the card. In the same way cards may be removed from the file. t will likewise be apparent that the holder with its assembly of cards may be removed from the frame and housed within a suitable case or cabinet for safekeeping and that the holder as well as the holder and frame assembly, containing the cards, is light and compact and may be readily transported from place to place. In addition, the file is of simple construction and may be economically manufactured by quantity production methods. It will be apparent that various changes in arrangement and design may be made in the preferred form of file described above without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A file comprising a frame having a pair of spaced, parallel side members and cross-members located adjacent opposite ends of the frame and extending transversely between the side members said frame being composed entirely of rods bent to shape so as to provide a light and open construction, and a card holder removably supported intermediate the side members, said holder comprising a pair of parallel, longitudinally extending rods resting on the cross-members and adapted to receive cards thereon, and interengaging means between the longitudinally extending rods and cross-members: for retaining the holder against longitudinal and lateral shifting with respect to the frame.

2. A file comprising a frame having a pair of spaced, parallel side members and cross-members located adjacent opposite ends of the frame and extending transversely between the side members, and a card holder removably supported intermediate the side members, said holder comprising a pair of parallel longitudinally-extending rods resting upon the cross-members, means connecting the rods adjacent one of their ends and said rods being free from obstructions for an appreciable distance from their other ends to allow the assembly of cards thereon, and notches upon said rods and cross-members to retain the holder against longitudinal and lateral shifting with respect to the frame.

3. A file comprising a frame of skeleton construction having a pair of spaced, parallel side members composed of metal rods and cross-rods located adjacent opposite ends of the frame and extending transversely between the side membars, a card holder comprising a rod formed into generally U-shape so as to define a pair of longitudinally-extending rods and a connecting crossrod, said holder being removably supported intermediate the side members with the longitudinally-extending rods resting upon the cross-rods,

notches provided in thelongitudinally-extending rods and cross-rods for causing interengagement between these members to prevent shifting of the holder with respect to the frame, and cards supported upon the holder, said cards each being provided with openings for freely passing the longitudinally-extending rods therethrough and having its lower end projecting substantially below the longitudinally-extending rods, and means on the cards for spacing adjacent cards from each other when assembled upon the holder in parallel relation, whereby the turning of a card upon the holder from upright position causesit to engage the lower end of the following card and move the latter to approximately upright position.

l. A file card comprising a sheet of stiff material of generally rectangular shape, a spring wire the ends of which are interwoven with said card and having an intermediate loop portion providing a clip projecting a slight distance from a face of the card, and a pair of laterally spacedapart openings in the card located a substantial distance above the lower transverse edge of the card.

EDGAR H. LARSEN. 

